Lumen Technologies Reports Solid First Quarter 2026 Results
By:
Lumen Technologies via
Business Wire
May 05, 2026 at 16:01 PM EDT
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Delivers revenue and adjusted EBITDA in line with expectations as the Company advances its transformation strategy rooted in an unmatched physical infrastructure, programmable network, and connected ecosystem Lumen Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: LUMN) today reported results for the first quarter, demonstrating continued progress in its transformation and positioning Lumen for sustainable growth in the AI-driven enterprise market. The Company also announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Alkira, extending Lumen's leadership in programmable networking for global enterprises. Among the Company’s highlights from the quarter:
“Our strategy is working and we continue to progress towards our key financial goals we set out at Investor Day,” said Lumen CEO Kate Johnson. “The planned Alkira acquisition accelerates our digital platform strategy by extending the programmable capabilities customers need to support AI workloads.” “First-quarter results were in line with our expectations, reflecting continued progress against our financial and strategic goals. We strengthened our balance sheet, reduced leverage below 4x following the fiber to the home sale, and continued to simplify our internal systems,” said Lumen President and CFO Chris Stansbury. “Strategic revenue now represents more than half of our business revenue, and we are pleased with increasing customer interest in our programmable network solutions. The pending Alkira acquisition reflects a disciplined and opportunistic capital allocation strategy that supports our path to revenue growth outlined at Investor Day, while remaining on track to meet full-year guidance.” First Quarter 2026 Highlights
Financial Results
Revenue Total Revenue was $2.899 billion for the first quarter 2026, compared to $3.182 billion for the first quarter 2025. Cash Flow Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities was $1.323 billion3 in the first quarter 2026, compared to $1.095 billion in the first quarter 2025. Free Cash Flow, excluding Special Items2,3, was $756 million in the first quarter 2026, compared to $354 million in the first quarter 2025. Liquidity As of Mar. 31, 2026, Lumen had cash and cash equivalents of $1.625 billion.
2026 Financial Outlook The Company updated its full-year 2026 financial outlook, which is detailed below:
Investor Call Lumen’s management team will host a conference call at 5:00 p.m. ET today, May 5, 2026. The conference call will be streamed live over the Lumen website at ir.lumen.com. Additional information regarding first quarter 2026 results, including the presentation materials, will be available on the Investor Relations website prior to the call. A webcast replay of the call will also be available on our website for one year. About Lumen Technologies: Lumen is unleashing the world's digital potential. We ignite business growth by connecting people, data, and applications – quickly, securely, and effortlessly. As the trusted network for AI, Lumen uses the scale of our network to help companies realize AI's full potential. From metro connectivity to long-haul data transport to our edge cloud, security, managed service, and digital platform capabilities, we meet our customers’ needs today and as they build for tomorrow. For news and insights visit news.lumen.com, LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies, X: @lumentechco, Facebook: /lumentechnologies, Instagram: @lumentechnologies and YouTube: /lumentechnologies. Lumen and Lumen Technologies are registered trademarks of Lumen Technologies LLC in the United States. Lumen Technologies LLC is a wholly-owned affiliate of Lumen Technologies, Inc. Forward-Looking Statements Except for historical and factual information, the matters set forth in this release and our other oral or written statements identified by words such as “estimates,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “plans,” “intends,” “will,” and similar expressions with respect to the future are forward-looking statements as defined by the federal securities laws, and are subject to the “safe harbor” protections thereunder. The forward-looking statements included in this press release including without limitation statements regarding our future financial results of operations, cash flows, or financial condition, our transformation strategy, and our modernization efforts and related target cost savings, the sale of our Mass Markets Fiber-to-the-Home business, statements regarding the pending acquisition of Alkira and the closing and expected benefits thereof, and the assumptions on which they are based are not guarantees of future results and are based on current expectations only, are inherently speculative, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. These risks and uncertainties include those described in our Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filings, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section and under the heading "Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2026 to be filed with the SEC, and in our other filings with the SEC. Additional factors or risks that we currently deem immaterial, that are not presently known to us, or that arise in the future could also cause our actual results to differ materially from our expected results. Given these uncertainties, investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events or developments, changed circumstances, or otherwise. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. Furthermore, any information about our intentions contained in any of our forward-looking statements reflects our intentions as of the date of such forward-looking statement, and is based upon, among other things, our assessment of regulatory, technological, industry, competitive, economic, or market conditions as of such date. We may change our intentions, strategies or plans (including our capital allocation plans) at any time and without notice, based upon any changes in such factors or otherwise, and we undertake no obligation to make any public announcement of such changed intentions, except to the extent required by applicable law.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures In addition to providing key metrics for management to evaluate the Company's performance, the Company believes that the non-GAAP financial measures described below and included in this release and which may be referred to on the conference call discussing the Company's first quarter 2026 financial results assist investors in their understanding of period-to-period operating performance and in identifying historical and prospective trends. Non-GAAP financial measures are not presented to be replacements or alternatives to the measures prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP), and investors are urged to consider these non-GAAP financial measures in addition to, and not in substitution for, or superior to, financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Lumen may calculate its non-GAAP financial measures differently from similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measures are included in the attached financial schedules and our Investor Relations website. Special Items. We use the term Special Items to describe items that impacted a period’s statement of operations or cash flows which the Company believes do not relate to the ordinary course of the Company's business and do not reflect the Company's underlying business performance. As described herein, the Company presents certain GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures both including and excluding the effects of Special Items. The largest components of our Special Items reflected in this release are net gain on sale of business related to the sale of our Mass Markets Fiber-to-the-Home business to AT&T and net losses associated with the early retirement of debt. The other main components of our Special Items include Modernization and Simplification costs, Transaction and Separation costs, and Income from Transition and Separation Services. Modernization and Simplification costs are associated with a multi-year transformation initiative to streamline our network infrastructure, product portfolio, and IT systems, and to modernize our workforce, designed to deliver $1 billion in annualized cost savings on a run-rate basis exiting 2027. Transaction and Separation costs reflect transaction and separation costs associated with the sale of our Mass Markets Fiber-to-the-Home business to AT&T and additional transaction and separation costs associated with supporting transition and separation services of our previous divestitures. Income from Transition and Separations Services includes charges we billed for transitional services and IT professional services provided to the purchasers in connection with our recent divestitures. Other items impacting Adjusted EBITDA and Net Loss include remittance of awards and associated fees related to the voluntary relinquishment of our program awards under the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (“RDOF”), and certain charges primarily related to the recognition of losses on disposal of certain operating assets related to our divestitures and certain charges or payments related to litigation‑related expenses arising from specific matters that are not indicative of normal, recurring business activities. Net Loss Excluding Special Items ($) is defined as Net Loss from the Statements of Operations excluding Special Items impacting Net Loss, which are further described above and detailed in the attached schedules. The Company also presents Diluted Net Loss per Share excluding Special Items, calculated as Net Loss per Share excluding Special Items divided by the weighted average of the diluted number of common shares outstanding in the relevant period. Net Loss Excluding Special Items (%) is defined as Net Loss excluding Special Items divided by total revenue. Management believes that Net Loss excluding Special Items, Net Loss Margin excluding Special Items and Diluted Net Loss Per Share excluding Special Items are relevant and useful metrics to provide to investors. There are material limitations to using these non-GAAP financial measures, including the difficulty associated with comparing companies that use similarly-titled performance measures whose calculations may differ from our calculations. Additionally, by excluding Special Items, these non-GAAP financial measures may exclude items that investors believe are important components of our performance. Such measures should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA ($) is defined as Net loss from the Statements of Operations before Income tax expense (benefit), Total other expense, net (which represents the net impact of interest expense, net loss on early retirement of debt, and other income, net), depreciation and amortization expense, and stock-based compensation expense. The Company also presents Adjusted EBITDA excluding Special Items, which are further described above. Adjusted EBITDA Margin (%) is defined as Adjusted EBITDA divided by total revenue. The Company also presents Adjusted EBITDA Margin excluding Special Items, which are further described above. Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin (with and without Special Items) are relevant and useful metrics to provide to investors, as they are an important part of our internal reporting and are key measures used by management to evaluate profitability and operating performance of Lumen and to make resource allocation decisions. Management believes such measures are especially important in a capital-intensive industry such as telecommunications. Management also uses Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin (and similarly uses these terms excluding Special Items) to compare our performance to that of our competitors and to eliminate certain non-cash and non-operating items in order to consistently measure from period to period our ability to fund capital expenditures and growth, service debt, and determine bonuses. Adjusted EBITDA excludes stock-based compensation expense because of the non-cash nature of this item. Adjusted EBITDA also excludes Total other expense, net (which represents the net impact of interest expense, net loss on early retirement of debt, and other income, net) and Income tax expense (benefit). There are material limitations to using Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin (in each case, with and without Special Items) as a financial measure, including the difficulty associated with comparing companies that use similarly-titled performance measures whose calculations may differ from our calculations. Additionally, by excluding the above-listed items, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin (in each case, with and without Special Items) may exclude items that investors believe are important components of our performance. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin (either with or without Special Items) should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with GAAP. Capital Expenditures excluding Special Items is defined as Capital Expenditures from the Statements of Cash Flows excluding Special Items. Management believes that Capital Expenditures excluding Special Items is a relevant and useful metric to provide investors. There are material limitations to using Capital Expenditures excluding Special Items, including the difficulty associated with comparing companies that use similarly-titled performance measures whose calculations may differ from our calculations. Additionally, by excluding Special Items, this non-GAAP financial measures may exclude items that investors believe are important components of our performance. Capital Expenditures excluding Special Items should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with GAAP. Unlevered Cash Flow is defined as net cash provided by (used in) operating activities less capital expenditures, plus cash interest paid and less interest income, all as disclosed in the Statements of Cash Flows. Management believes that Unlevered Cash Flow is a relevant metric to provide to investors, because it reflects the operational performance of Lumen and, measured over time, enables management and investors to monitor the underlying business’ growth pattern and ability to generate cash. The Company also presents Unlevered Cash Flow excluding Special Items, which are further described above. There are material limitations to using Unlevered Cash Flow (with or without Special Items) to measure our cash performance as it excludes certain material items that investors may believe are important components of our cash flows. Comparisons of our Unlevered Cash Flow to that of some of our competitors may be of limited usefulness as other companies may use similarly-titled performance measures whose calculations may differ from our calculations. Additionally, this financial measure is subject to variability quarter over quarter as a result of the timing of payments related to accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll and capital expenditures. Unlevered Cash Flow (with or without Special Items) should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, other measures of liquidity reported in accordance with GAAP. Free Cash Flow is defined as net cash provided by (used in) operating activities less capital expenditures as disclosed in the Statements of Cash Flows. Management believes that Free Cash Flow is a relevant metric to provide to investors, as it is an indicator of our ability to generate cash to service our debt. The Company also presents Free Cash Flow excluding Special Items, which are further described above . There are material limitations to using Free Cash Flow (with or without Special Items) to measure our performance as it excludes certain material items that investors may believe are important components of our cash flows. Comparisons of our Free Cash Flow to that of some of our competitors may be of limited usefulness as other companies may use similarly-titled performance measures whose calculations may differ from our calculations. Additionally, this financial measure is subject to variability quarter over quarter as a result of the timing of payments related to interest expense, accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll and capital expenditures. Free Cash Flow (either with or without Special Items) should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, other measures of liquidity reported in accordance with GAAP.
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